Intel To Launch Upgraded Compute Stick This Winter

Intel is looking to release a new version of the Compute Stick PC in the fourth quarter of this year, according to the company’s product roadmap, which was leaked online. Integrated with a Core M processor, the upcoming stick marks a significant upgrade over its current counterparts that run on Atom-based processors. Moreover, the product, which has been dubbed “Cedar City,” will be efficient enough to support 4K displays and manage more exhaustive computing jobs.

To support more exhaustive work

Further, Intel’s Core M sticks will be more powerful with 4GB RAM and 64 GB of storage space, compared to sticks available today that offer 2GB of RAM. In addition, they will feature a 3.0 USB port and possess MHL capabilities that will enable them to obtain power from the HDMI ports of televisions. Thus, this will eliminate the need for a USB cable to boot up compute sticks. The chip maker is also planning to install Windows 10 Bing, the royalty-free edition of Windows by Microsoft that often comes with small computing devices, on the forthcoming stick.

Though, Intel’s Core M sticks promise to be more powerful and efficient, the current ones cannot be ignored, as they are as efficient as contemporary Windows tablets. But since the operating system consumes most of the 32 GB space present, they are incapable of carrying out more intensive computing tasks. This is one area where the 64-GB space in the upcoming sticks can be considered a significant upgrade. But how expensive these devices are going to be still remains unclear. Presently, Windows compute sticks cost about $150, and Linux-based sticks are priced at around $110.

Intel also updating Atom-based sticks

Along with the new Core M sticks, Intel is also developing updated versions of the current sticks running on Atom processors. Based on the company’s next-gen Broxton architecture, these compute sticks will contain all features of the Core M sticks, such as MHL, a 4K display and 64 GB storage space for the Windows version, etc., but they will provide just 2GB of RAM and be less efficient. The product roadmap suggests that these upgraded Atom-based compute sticks, which have been codenamed “Fall City2,” will be released next year.

However, it seems that the company is not offering much to Linux users as the roadmap does not suggest Core M sticks based on Linux. In fact, the next version for this OS is also going to be based on Atom processors and will have just 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of storage space.